


And It Must Follow

by Shenandoah76209



Series: Chains [7]
Category: Firefly, Pitch Black (2000), Riddick (2013), Serenity (2005), The Chronicles of Riddick Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25050415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shenandoah76209/pseuds/Shenandoah76209
Summary: The last thing in the world Johns ever thought he would get was a wedding invitation.  From the most notorious escaped convict in the 'verse.  And there's no way Dahl will let him send their regrets.  Heaven help the 'verse.  Riddick was getting married.
Relationships: Boss Johns/Dahl, Richard B. Riddick/River Tam
Series: Chains [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/411024
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	And It Must Follow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chisza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chisza/gifts).



> To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. – Polonius advice to Laertes - Hamlet – William Shakespeare

Of all the things he’d have thought to get a wave about, the wedding of one of (if not the most) wanted men in the ‘verse would have been the last. This had to be some sort of alternate universe. Some weird, upside down, back to front, inside out bizarro world where Riddick was a cuddly guy who spoke wedding vows. He had to sit down, reread the thing, rub his eyes, read it again and then pass it on to Dahl so she could verify that he hadn’t started hallucinating. Didn’t too much time in cryo start to effect the brain and cognitive function and crap like that?

Dahl had just grinned with wicked delight and he knew that they’d end up going even if he tried to object. She and Kitten had struck up a friendship and though they didn’t see each other in person much, it seemed to hold true. Then they’d picked up Sheydra and heard her account of what had happened when Luna had tried to catch Riddick and River.

To hear her tell it, River was an avenging angel and Riddick damn near the same. The capper had been the deadly duo leaving everything, all neat and tidy, so that Sheydra as the last of the ‘clan’ had claim to it. It gave her the money to get properly outfitted with gear and some left over for savings. Actually a lot left over for savings once that ship had been sold.

Granted, he’d learned Riddick was not exactly the Big Evil everyone (read the rest of the Merc Guild and most of the ‘verse) seemed to think he was. But knowing the man for a killer and something of a scoundrel rather than a psychopathic murderer was one thing. Hearing the man was set to marry… entirely another. Something in that just didn’t make sense. Normal folks married. People like Riddick and marriage…just didn’t seem to even belong in the same sentence.

Dahl and Sheydra had happily greeted a curvy girl with wavy brown hair and a tall woman with bright blue eyes, swapping introductions and naming everyone else on the different crews. Names had been trickling out of his mind since they’d only met the once and he figured he could blame it on the shock of the event they’d gathered for. He’d given his approximation of a polite bow and let the swarm of names flow over his head as Dahl introduced Sheydra to _Serenity’s_ crew, Zoe, Kaylee, Mattie, Jayne, Simon, Mal… Funny enough they weren’t too hard to remember when he considered the bunch of disparate personalities.

He’d finally heard Kitten’s actual name, River. Not that Riddick used it much; she was his Kitten and his woman and apparently any other name was superfluous so long as she agreed she was his. Of course he wasn’t alone in that sentiment. Everyone on the crew besides the First Mate (and what was going on with that one?) and Pilot had a pet name for her and used that in lieu of her name. Seemed like she was Simon’s actual little sister and Jayne’s honorary one. The Captain’s sort of adopted daughter, though there was something of a strain there.

Near as he could tell Captain Reynolds was most definitely not thrilled about marrying his ‘little albatross’ to Riddick. There’d been a plethora of Chinese phrases, ‘ _È guàn mǎn yíng_ , _Yǔ hóu zi yī qǐ cān jiā fèn biàn tóu zhí bǐ sài_ , _Fàng zòng fēng kuáng de jié_ , and _Nǐ zài jiǎng shén me pì huà_ ’, among them. He hadn’t been able to understand the Chinese really, though he got the idea that whatever the phrases meant, at the very least they constituted a strong objection to the idea. Not that Johns could blame him really. But if Reynolds thought an objection would get him anywhere he clearly underestimated Riddick and Kitten.

Simple ceremony, promises to each other, rings and a kiss so tender it was damn near embarrassing to see something that private out in the open bay… Not something he’d have thought of Riddick, not at all. Not even after hearing from Sheydra about Riddick’s attitude towards Kitten. But the way the man touched her cheek, as if he feared she’d disappear, clearly the biggest bad of the ‘verse had fallen hard.

And wasn’t that a kick in the head?

He’d have bet even money that Riddick would be content to sail around with his woman and be damned to convention and social mores. And he wouldn’t have been surprised to hear Riddick say tradition could fuck itself. He’d have taken odds on Kitten not caring if they married at all.

The light in the bay was dimmer than usual, in deference to Riddick’s eyes, and therefore his usual expression masking goggles were pushed up on his forehead. It might as well have been high noon on a desert world to see Riddick’s expression. Unguarded, awe, trust, gratitude and love blazed over his face; his eyes fixed to his bride as if she were the only thing he could see in the ‘verse. Those freaky silver eyes nearly glowed with it.

Of course after the kiss and Reynolds had pronounced them spouses there was food and dancing and a lot of flirting going on between his clan and _Serenity’s_ crew.

Dahl had grinned and tugged him onto the dance floor (such as it was) and filled him in on all the doings that happened before the wedding. Apparently the Captain had to be threatened with violence in order to get him to perform the vows. Well that explained the strain and tension somewhat. He still didn’t get what was going on with the First Mate. When he said as much Dahl had shaken her head and kept her voice very low, tugging him back over to their seat on a more comfortable crate telling him that he’d have to hear about that later and changed the subject back to the wedding stuff.

Johns found himself surprised to hear that Riddick had gone to Kitten’s brothers (adopted and biological) for help with her ring and getting a suit of clothes that would suit him and look appropriate with his bride’s wedding dress. Of course the Doctor obviously hailed from the Core so he’d be a good source of advice. But the gunhand? The same gunhand wanted for sedition and larceny on Canton?

Then he’d heard the blue-eyed giant (well, giant compared to everyone but Riddick) asking the doctor, “So…when d’ya figure River’ll tell Rick she’s set ta start havin’ babies with him?” And realized what Kitten and her brother already knew. That big dumb yokel from the Rim act was only an act. Big yes, Rim, obviously, but dumb yokel…not hardly. No more than Riddick was a completely savage moron.

Dahl patted his shoulder and went off to get another glass of ‘wine’ shaking her head at him as if he’d lost a step somewhere along the way. Johns glanced over at Riddick and Kitten, wondering if the convict had heard the conversation but all the man’s attention was on his new wife. He’d watched the dancing for a bit, eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and then nodded, extending his hand and bowing to Kitten, before sweeping her into a dance.

Damned if the man wasn’t as graceful on the dance floor as he was in a fight. Johns shook his head thoughtfully. Layers upon fuckin’ layers with that crazy son-of-a-bitch.

“Kinda odd ain’t it,” The big not dumb yokel gunhand took a seat next to him. “Seein’ someone looks that mean, so gone over a tiny little woman?”

“Odd… oh in so many ways you have no idea,” Johns nodded.

“Might have a few,” Jayne (really? That was his actual name? Who’d do that to their kid?) chuckled and shook his head. “He looks like a mean _hún dàn gǒu niáng yǎng de_. But he’d take bullets for her. Man was actually surprised as hell when she flat out told him she would marry him if he asked. But he had to actually ask.”

“I’d’ve thought Riddick to have enough self-confidence for ten men,” Johns shook his head. The man didn’t have a humble bone in his body.

“Comes to killin’, flyin’, any a that, sure,” The gunhand chuckled. “But he ain’t had anyone give a good gorram about him beyond a payday in years b’fore he met River. Dampens a man’s ego some I guess. An’ then knowin’ she’s Core raised, an’ a genius, an’ then a Reader on top of it…”

“Did kinda wonder how she could stand to hear what’s in his head,” The merc boss admitted. “Doesn’t seem a pleasant place to be.”

“Aw, he ain’t no worse than me or Simon,” Blue eyes were stone cold sober as they looked over the rim of his mug. “He don’t lie y’know? An’ when she’s hurtin’, made an effort to clean up his thoughts some. So he wouldn’t give her panic attacks. Sailed with her more’n a year, made sure she saw a doc and a counselor.”

“What’s lying have to do with anything?” Johns seized on the one thing he could understand enough to ask about.

“If you’re thinkin’ one thing an’ sayin’ another how’d ya think that feels to a Reader?” The question made him feel like a fool, which he probably should. “Near’s I can tell he don’t do that. He don’t talk much if there ain’t anything to say. Doesn’t do all that polite _gǒu pì_. Not unless he means it. He’s tellin’ us while we’re lookin’ for his weddin’ clothes, how much he likes just sittin’ with her, readin’ or playin’ some game. She don’t push him to be what he ain’t. An’ he don’t do that to her neither.”

“And he keeps up with her,” The doctor’s elegant accent sounded over Jayne’s shoulder and he took a seat across from them. “My sister is…”

“She’s a ruttin’ genius,” Cobb spit it out when Simon took too long considering what to say. “An’ she ain’t bored talkin’ to him.”

“According to her waves, not once has she had to dumb down her conversation for his benefit,” Simon chuckled. “I’m not a terrible slouch in the brains department myself but even I can’t follow her sometimes. He has no trouble.”

“Riddick?” Johns wondered again if he’d stumbled into some bizarro alternate universe where down was up and right was left.

“Yeah,” The gunhand looked at him as if Johns had slipped a few gears. Must be his night for it since that expression matched Dahl’s pretty well. “How’n the hell else’d the man keep escapin’ alla them slams? Strong an’ quick an’ agile’s nothin’ if you don’t got the brains to figure the way out.”

“And think quickly enough to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves,” Simon added with an amused smile. “He does the big dumb yokel act as well as Jayne does. But my sister wouldn’t be interested in him for long if he wasn’t just as intelligent as she is.”

“An’ he loves her,” Cobb smiled slightly as he watched the two dancing. “I figure ‘tween the two of ‘em they’ve gone through enough hell. Ain’t nobody else in the ‘verse ‘sides the two of ‘em could understand the other.”

“It’s… difficult to grasp,” Johns admitted. “Dahl having a friendship with Kitten, sure. Figuring out that Riddick isn’t quite the psycho he’s been painted…that’s an adjustment. Seeing him like this…”

“It does boggle the mind,” Simon chuckled quietly. “But on more than one occasion he’s put his body between hers and bullets. She was injured, badly, and he…when he spoke of it…” He paused and shook his head, “I love my sister. When she was taken I…well. I would have stopped at nothing to get her back. To make her safe again. Riddick…she’s his world. I think if anyone tried to harm her, deliberately upset her or Buddha forbid, try to take her from him…” Those elegant features went cold, “I don’t think that person would be long for the ‘verse. And I wouldn’t blame him one bit. I think he’d do anything to keep her from harm.”

“And considerin’ the man for the longest while valued nothin’ so much as his own hide…” Jayne nodded as if that explained everything.

“And she’ll have children with him?” That was something else to wrap his head around.

“Yep,” Simon chuckled. “She and I have a bet as to whether or not he’ll pass out during the birth.”

“I’ll take some of that action,” Johns grinned.

Cobb shook his head, “Nope. I’m with River. She thinks he’ll stick.”

“Riddick’s kids… Now that… that is a truly frightening thought,” The merc boss shook his head.

“Riddick’s and my sister’s,” Simon smirked, an elegant smirk but still. “They’ll have their hands full.”

“Little Furyan’s with genius brains,” Jayne chuckled. “Can’t wait to see that.” He and the doctor exchanged highly amused smirks.

“At least I’ll likely be retired before they start to take over the ‘verse,” Johns consoled himself and the other two laughed.

* * *

A bit more than a year later when they got word Kitten had given birth, Johns cursed and began to wire a transfer of twenty plat to Cobb. That would teach him to bet against Riddick’s strength of will.

You’d think he’d know better by now.

Dahl laughed at him when he told her and rolled her eyes. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty Will,” She smiled. “Wanna go double or nothin’ you’ll pass out when your kid is born?”

“Hey I didn’t faint—” He stopped and stared at her. Present and future tense…not past… “Nic?”

“Got the confirmation this morning. Four months along, so…no more cryo for five at least and we’ve got a clean bill of health,” She laughed at his expression and he wondered why he felt so dizzy…

…The ceiling was still spinning. He really ought to make it stop. Or was it the floor moving? Nic! Nic was having his baby. He sat up so fast he nearly cracked his head on a chair.

“Damn!” Dahl swore as she helped him up. “Now I owe River twenty plat.”

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: So this popped into my brain when Chisza wondered about Johns’ reaction to Riddick marrying River. And of course, I couldn’t just leave it there. What fun would that be?
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> È guàn mǎn yíng (lit. strung through and filled with evil (idiom); filled with extreme evil / replete with vice / guilty of monstrous crimes)
> 
> Yǔ hóu zi yī qǐ cān jiā fèn biàn tóu zhí bǐ sài (Take part in a feces throwing competition with monkeys)
> 
> Fàng zòng fēng kuáng de jié (knot of self-indulgent lunacy/indulge in crazy knots)
> 
> Nǐ zài jiǎng shén me pì huà (What shit/the fuck are you saying)
> 
> hún dàn (bastard)
> 
> gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch (lit. "raised by a dog mother"))
> 
> gǒu pì (bullshit, nonsense (lit. "dog fart");)


End file.
